


Little Gift

by mercy_angel_09



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Crushes, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Romance, the Space Mice now know how the Muses felt in Hercules, they're also getting ideas, which is why the ending is a bit more open than anticipated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 22:37:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12177870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercy_angel_09/pseuds/mercy_angel_09
Summary: A thank you gift form a grateful alien freed from Galra control isn't exactly Keith's style - but it may just be Allura's.Kallura Month 2017 - Day 24 - Something Sparkly





	Little Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Making up aliens is hard. I'm pretty ambiguous about what they look like to let the reader's imagination go nuts. In other news, making up alien minerals and gems is also difficult. This fic was equal parts me cackling over how freaking adorable it is and me angsting over UGH ALIENS.

Standing in a town square on the planet of Yalrbronie, Keith shifted from foot to foot. Having recently liberated the planet from Galra control, he was speaking with the leaders to bring them into the fold of the resistance. Not that it was a skill he claimed to have any proficiency with, but he managed all the same. And where he failed, somehow Lance managed to pick up the slack and then some.

Stepping away from the throng of cheerful Yalrbronites, Keith backed into one of the marketplace stalls that were scattered through the square. On it was a display of beautifully crafted jewelry. Coran had, of course, expounded upon the jewelry crafting talents of the Yalrbronites before they’d started their mission, but it hadn’t really sunk in until just now. When he could see the elegant necklaces, bracelets, and earrings spread out before him.

“Like what you see?” a Yalrbronite asked.

Keith looked at him…er…her? He blinked, then shook his head. Pronouns didn’t matter right now. “They’re beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

The Yalrbronite chuckled. “No one in the galaxy makes jewelry like the Yalrbronites.”

A necklace caught his eye, a delicate pendant in the shape of a waning moon that was wrapped in fine silver-like metal that was also threaded through smaller beads that twinkled like stars. It was lovely, and reminded him of Allura. She’d probably adore it.

“Ahh, I see you like the pendant,” the Yalrbronite said, reaching over and grasping its chain in thin, blue fingers. They held it up to give Keith a better view and show off the craftsmanship. “Silorian stone, wrapped in silver cortrite that’s threaded through starburst crystals, hanging from a silver cortrite chain. I spent hours on it.”

“I can see that,” Keith said, completely sincere.

“Perhaps you’d like it?”

His eyes widened and he put up his hand. “I…I don’t have any way to pay you for it.” A much safer answer than trying to explain that he had no use for it, nor anyone he could give it to. Although…

The Yalrbronite arched one of their thin brows. “Oh?” They made a show of looking over at Allura, who’d just accepted a bouquet of flowers from a group of Yalrbronie children.

Keith flushed. “Well, she did say that she likes sparkly things.”

“They don’t get much more sparkly than this, kid,” the Yalrbronite said. They reached over and pressed the necklace into Keith’s hand. “A thank you for freeing us from the Galra. It may not match your eyes, but something tells me it’d go just perfectly with hers.”

“I, um, thanks,” Keith mumbled, slipping necklace into his armor for safekeeping. He’d give it to her back on the Castle of Lions. Without an audience.

The Yalrbronite shooed him away and Keith waded back into the fray of grateful townspeople, awkwardly making his way towards the others. After the appropriate amount of thanking, they were finally free to head back to the castle. Keith knew he was fidgeting, but nobody but Shiro and Kolivan seemed to notice. And Shiro and Kolivan weren’t the kind to say something.

Several hours later Keith knocked on Allura’s bedroom door, the necklace tucked safely in his jacket pocket. When the doors slid open, she stood before him in her nightgown and robe, hair loose around her shoulders. Her confusion gave way to surprise when she registered his presence. “Keith! What brings you here so late?”

“Um, I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pendant, holding it up so the starburst crystals winked in the light spilling out of her room into the dim hallway. “It was a gift from one of the Yalrbronites. I don’t have use for it, so I thought that maybe you’d like it.”

Allura reached out, gently taking the pendant from Keith. “Oh,” she breathed. “It’s absolutely lovely. But why did you accept it?”

“Like I said, it was a gift and it seemed rude to refuse it. I told them that I couldn’t pay for it at first, but they insisted. It’s not my style, and you did say that you like sparkly things so…” His voice trailed off as he shrugged. “I hope you like it.”

“I love it, Keith. Thank you.” Her eyes softened as she gazed at him, a small smile curving her lips as she clutched the pendant to her chest.

Keith’s cheeks pinked under her happy regard. It was one of the few times he could honestly say that he’d seen her happy since they’d landed on Arus all those months ago. Heart fluttering, he tried to smile back, managing an awkward but endearing grin instead. “Good. That’s…good.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, it’s late and we should probably get to bed. Good night, Allura.”

“Good night, Keith. And thank you again.”

He grinned again and turned to head down the hall, leaving Allura alone, still holding the pendant against her chest. She was pulled out of her thoughts by squeaking and chattering from the mice. She looked over at them, seeing that Plachu and Chuchule were pantomiming some sort of romantic scene. Scowling, she turned at them, hand on her hips. “Oh now stop.”

More cheeky squeaking answered her.

“He was being nice! There isn’t anything more to it than that.”

The mice squeaked their doubts and she sighed.

“Fine, think whatever you want but keep the gossip to yourselves.”

The mice exchanged sly looks.

“And don’t look at me like that! He was very sweet and kind and…” She stopped herself short before she said anything incriminating. Like that she had thought him charming and adorable as he’d tried to casually hand over the pendant. “He was being nice. Nothing more.”

Again the mice shared sly looks.

“I’m going to bed. Goodnight, you busybodies. Find something else to occupy your time instead of my non-existent love life.”

She carefully laid the pendant on her vanity next to her jewelry box, admiring it again. It was really quite sweet of Keith to think of her, especially to remember that she had wanted to go to the swap moon – space mall? – to get something sparkly. Settling into bed, she thought about Keith as she drifted off to sleep, unaware that the mice knew exactly how she felt about him.

And that they were sneaky little creatures who thought that she deserved to be with someone who made her happy. If Keith was the one who made her happy…well, they could work with that.

**Author's Note:**

> So who would be interested in a fic of the mice playing matchmaker between Keith and Allura?
> 
> Anyone? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?


End file.
